Comparing vitamin B2 versus 5% dextrose in water for optimal ureteric jet visualisation at the time of pelvic reconstructive surgery: A randomised controlled trial.

Objective: To compare preoperative vitamin B2 versus intraoperative cystoscopy distension using 5% dextrose in water (D5W) for ureteric jet visualisation during pelvic reconstructive surgery.

Design: Double-blinded, randomised controlled trial.

Setting: Three tertiary hospitals in Toronto, Canada.

Reversing frontal disinhibition rescues behavioural deficits in models of CACNA1A-associated neurodevelopment disorders.

CACNA1A deletions cause epilepsy, ataxia, and a range of neurocognitive deficits, including inattention, impulsivity, intellectual deficiency and autism. To investigate the underlying mechanisms, we generated mice carrying a targeted Cacna1a deletion restricted to parvalbumin-expressing (PV) neurons (PV;Cacna1a) or to cortical pyramidal cells (PC) (Emx1;Cacna1a). GABA release from PV-expressing GABAergic interneurons (PV-INs) is reduced in PV;Cacna1a mutants, resulting in impulsivity, cognitive rigidity and inattention.

Quality and Reliability of Publicly Accessible Information on Laser Treatments for Urinary Incontinence: What Is Available to Our Patients?

Study Objective: To determine the quality and reliability of the top 20 internet search results for laser treatment of stress urinary incontinence (SUI).

Design: Review of 20 websites.

Setting: N/A.

Psychosocial Features of Neurofibromatosis Type 1 in Children and Adolescents.

Unlabelled: Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) is a common neurologic condition associated with a wide variety of developmental deficits that have an important impact on children and adolescents.

Objective: This article aims to document the psychosocial features of NF1 and to report the interventions described to address the needs of pediatric patients with NF1.

Methods: A literature review was conducted concerning the social life, mental health, and quality of life (QOL) of children and adolescents with NF1 as well as the psychosocial interventions addressed to this population.

CACNA1A haploinsufficiency causes cognitive impairment, autism and epileptic encephalopathy with mild cerebellar symptoms.

CACNA1A loss-of-function mutations classically present as episodic ataxia type 2 (EA2), with brief episodes of ataxia and nystagmus, or with progressive spinocerebellar ataxia (SCA6). A minority of patients carrying CACNA1A mutations develops epilepsy. Non-motor symptoms associated with these mutations are often overlooked.

Neuropsychological functioning in children with temporal lobe epilepsy and hippocampal atrophy without mesial temporal sclerosis: a distinct clinical entity?

Unilateral hippocampal atrophy (HA) is considered as a precursor of mesial temporal sclerosis (MTS) in some patients with temporal lobe epilepsy. However, in other cases, it has been suggested that HA without MTS may constitute a distinct epileptic entity. Hippocampal atrophy without MTS was defined as HA without T2-weighted hyperintensity, loss of internal architecture, or associated lesion seen on the MRI data.

Superior estimation abilities in two autistic spectrum children.

Anecdotal reports of superior estimation abilities in autistic individuals (e.g., Sacks, 1985) have never been confirmed empirically.

Near-infrared spectroscopy as an alternative to the Wada test for language mapping in children, adults and special populations.

The intracarotid amobarbital test (IAT) is the most widely used procedure for pre-surgical evaluation of language lateralization in epileptic patients. However, apart from being invasive, this technique is not applicable in young children or patients who present mental retardation and/or language deficits. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) is increasingly employed as a non-invasive alternative.

Quantification judgement in high functioning autism: superior or different?

This study examined the hypothesis of superior quantification abilities of persons with high functioning autism (HFA). Fourteen HFA individuals (mean age: 15 years) individually matched with 14 typically developing (TD) participants (gender, chronological age, full-scale IQ) were asked to quantify as accurately and quickly as possible numerosities, represented by the number of squares (2-9) presented in random configurations. In addition, the visual angles of stimuli presentation were manipulated in order to induce a local (large visual angle) and a global (small visual angle) bias on participants' quantification performance (accuracy and naming time).

Processing of metaphoric and non-metaphoric alternative meanings of words after right- and left-hemispheric lesion.

This study examines the specificity of the contribution of the right hemisphere to the processing of metaphoric meaning of words. Ten right- and 10 left-hemisphere-damaged subjects, and 20 normal control subjects were submitted to: (1) a word-triad task where they had to associate alternative metaphoric and non-metaphoric words to a target word, and to (2) a word-dyad task where they had to decide whether or not there was a semantic relationship between two words. The two tasks aimed at differentiating between the subjects' preference for a given semantic meaning versus a genuine semantic deficit for a particular meaning.